A lot of people talk about inflammation, and for a good reason. Chronic inflammation can impact your health in various ways when it’s slow, cumulative, and lasts for months or even years. Inflammation over long periods can wear down your immune system, putting you at risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and more.
Restricting inflammation involves taking an active role in your well-being by getting good sleep, maintaining low-stress levels, and eating anti-inflammatory foods. It can also extend your life.
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Stacy T. Sims, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist, said, “All acute exercise induces a low-grade inflammatory response that the body then adapts to, creating a longer-term, anti-inflammatory adaptation.”
Here are some of the best anti-inflammatory exercises backed by science. You can benefit from exercise’s anti-inflammatory effects by adding one or all of these workouts to your routine.
Walking
Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health. It doesn’t just boost your energy. It improves your memory and kicks stress in the you-know-what. It can also reduce inflammation. Walking is free and accessible to almost everyone.
Strength Training
If you want to protect your body against inflammation and its lasting effects, lift weights, whether they are light or heavy. “Strength training invokes anti-inflammatory responses post-exercise,” Sims explains. Researchers found that: “muscle-strengthening activities reduced mortality by 10 to 17 percent, cardiovascular disease, total cancer, diabetes, and lung cancer” To reap these benefits, make sure to pump iron twice a week.
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Yoga
Practicing yoga is more than just impressing your friends. A certified yoga instructor, Kimberley Copeland, says the practice allows us to confront and release tucked-away latent emotions. The physical and mental benefits of yoga can include improving circulation and steadying the breath, as well as stilling the mind and reducing the effects of stress.
Rebounding
The mini trampoline, or rebounding, was popular several years ago, but due to the pandemic and celebs doing it, there’s been a resurgence. Besides improving bone density, rebounding also improves balance and reduces pain severity.